Dad went to Salina this morning to take Uriah into the shop. The transmission had two minor issues that could use attention, so since it’s under warranty, we wanted to have it fixed. In addition, we are having two other parts replaced–preemptively! Time is ticking down quickly as we anticipate the conference outside of Philadelphia later in June. We would appreciate prayer that the bus repairs go quickly.

Sorry, no baby news yet. It is now thought Melanie will make it another two weeks, so Anna Marie should easily have her baby first. At least we all hope!

Love,
Sarah

Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

We are grateful to the Lord for the two little Maxwell blessings–grandblessings–that are almost here. Anna Marie is now officially at 41 weeks, and Melanie hit full-term at 37 weeks. We are praising the Lord! I thought a little photo session was in order.

Anna Marie simply glows! I can’t wait to see her holding her baby.
Even with being a week overdue, Anna Marie does not complain, but is simply and joyfully resting in the Lord’s plans.
Melanie and Anna Marie have loved their little ones since the day they found out they were carrying them.
Melanie is thrilled to officially be on normal activity. She’s loving preparing for her baby.
I had to add this picture of Anna and Abby, with their matching skirts.

Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.

It has been exciting to see the Lord blessing ITonRamp. Nathan and Joseph have been encouraged to see those in their classes learn new skills and gain confidence in using them, and in receiving very positive feedback from those participating.

I want to take a few minutes to share with you about the two upcoming courses and why I feel either one could be a benefit to your family.

It seems more and more people desire to create a website. For some families, having a website could be vital to their home business. It could mean the success (having a site) or failure (not having one) of the business.

How does one even begin to create a website?

How does one learn the coding behind designing a clean, crisp website?

How do you place elements, text, and images in an eye-pleasing way, not to mention the coding behind it?

Students will study a book, learn by practical projects and assignments, watch weekly webinars, and participate in an online forum, if they so choose. This would be the perfect course for your high schooler or young adult to take this summer. The class begins in just one week, so if you’ve been thinking about enrolling in it, don’t delay!

In two weeks, Nathan’s second group of A+ students will begin. Even if you’re not planning on going into the IT field and doing computer support, this class could be highly beneficial to supporting your computers at home or in a home business. In the long run it could save you money as opposed to paying someone to fix your computer problems. You can avoid those expensive bills by fixing it yourself! If your computer is running slow, you’ll know what to do to increase its performance. For young ladies, A+ offers you a dynamic skill set to be able to have a home business or simply to enable you to bless others by helping them with their computers.

Nathan will prepare you to take the A+ tests, which, if passed, will title you as an A+ certified technician. His weekly webinars are full of practical knowledge. The books to study, projects to do, and interaction in the forums are all part of the course. We feel A+ is so valuable in knowledge, we would encourage every high school student to take it.

Not to mention both courses are mentored, giving one-on-one interaction, follow-up, and encouragement.

So, there you have it—many reasons why one should consider taking HTML or A+. I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Sarah

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.”

One new-to-us feature was the SkyFari. It was basically a ski-lift that you ride over the zoo. Dad and Mom said they’d stay with the little girls and go through the butterfly exhibit, so Joseph, John, Anna, Jesse, Mary, and I went to catch a ride.
It was an interesting feeling being airborne over exhibits. You became very aware of not wanting to lose anything to the ground which was a good distance away. John and Anna were in the seat ahead of us, and Jesse and Mary behind.
Joseph and I were a team and enjoyed the quiet, relaxing ride across the zoo.
As the SkyFari came to the half way point, we were right over the rhino exhibit. This rhino was wallowing in the mud. Rhinos do this to cool off, and it was a hot day, close to 90 degrees.
This little guy looked longingly at the leaves which were out of his reach.
Grandma and Grandpa having snack time with the grandgirls.
One of our favorite sections of the zoo is the aquarium. The penguins are especially cute, and we had quite a bit of time in that section, because we were waiting for Dad and Mom to join us. They rode the SkyFari after we did.
The others had moved on around the corner, and this was neat shot in a bubble window.
A penguin close up.
Joseph took the pictures here in the overhead aquarium.
It makes me glad there is glass between me and it.
Jellyfish. Another of Joseph’s photos.
Mom’s favorite part of our trip was actually these guys, Silvery Lutungs. See how the baby was catching its ride mid-air?
The mom swung with that baby, and then it hopped off, and the next one got a ride.
This suspended bridge held memories for the younger five from our trips when they were little. Abby got to experience it with Aunt Anna.
John enjoyed himself too.
Love,
Sarah

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”